Saturday, 30 November 2013

I just want to send my support, that of the Presidential Team, General Secretariat, the NEC and the whole union to you and the region. Especially those in Police Scotland who are dealing with a potential loss of colleagues.
All public service workers many of our members will be working on and involved in this terrible incident.
I would ask that you pass my message on to Police Scotland.
Thanks
MaureenEmail from UNISON President Maureen Le Marinel (herself a police staff member) to UNISON Scottish Secretary Mike Kirby

#clutha As a mark of respect to all those affected by the tragedy at the Clutha Vaults last night and in view of the pressure which has been placed on the resources of Scottish emergency services, STUC has decided to cancel its annual St Andrew's Day anti-racism march. The march which had been due to leave from Glasgow Green at 11am will now NOT take place, but participants are invited to attend a short rally at the Glasgow Film Theatre at 12 noon as planned http://www.stuc.org.uk/campaigns-and-external-events/st-andrews-day

Friday, 29 November 2013

UNISON Scotland is calling on parents, students and teachers to support of the vital contribution made by hard-working classroom assistants, as part of a national celebration day (29 November).

The union, which represents classroom assistants, is campaigning for all school support staff to be rewarded for their tireless work through a proper career structure and better pay, terms and conditions. With the dedicated help of classroom assistants, children who would otherwise struggle, get support to keep them in mainstream education.

The focus of the campaign at UK level is the threat from the coalition government to phase out the role of teaching assistants. While this role does not exist as such in Scotland, classroom assistants (and similar job titles) undertake a huge and varied range of tasks in Scottish schools. Independent research by the EOC and others shows that Scottish classroom assistants are working at high levels of responsibility - including planning and organising learning activities.

UNISON Scotland Education Chair, Carol Ball said:
“As local government is bearing the brunt of spending cuts in Scotland, school staff are facing growing demands to do more for less. Their pay is being squeezed, and they are working an increasing number of unpaid hours as staff who leave are not replaced. In addition, as the Glasgow dispute demonstrates, they are being forced to take on new roles without adequate training.”

“Celebrating Classroom Assistants
That the Parliament considers that classroom assistants in Scotland make a valuable contribution; welcomes what it considers the positive impact that classroom assistants make by enhancing the learning environment for children and supporting teachers and other school staff; acknowledges the role of Unison Scotland in speaking up for the many of its 160,000 members who are classroom assistants, and supports Unison’s Celebration Day on 29 November 2013, which recognises the difference made by classroom and teaching assistants to the education and support of children in schools across the UK.”

ENDS

Note for editors:
Job titles for support roles in Scottish schools vary significantly, as do the range of roles. Classroom Assistant is a common generic title.

The Glasgow dispute relates to pupil support assistants, instructors and care workers who are being forced to undertake specialist healthcare tasks, including the administration of medicine, in addition to their core duties. Further details here.

Thursday, 28 November 2013

UNISON Scotland response to Scottish Parliament PE1488 petition on whistleblowing in local government.

UNISON Scotland is sympathetic to the petition’s aims.

Effective whistleblowing procedures are an essential part of good staff governance. Councils should be workplaces were staff are encouraged to speak out without risk of victimisation. Such an approach benefits the council, staff and the wider community.

While we deal with only a few cases each year, we are aware of surveys that indicate a high degree of dissatisfaction with the current provisions across all workplaces. In May of this year PCAW released a disturbing survey that indicated that 60% of whistleblowers received no response to their concerns from their managers; one in five were disciplined and 15% dismissed.

Most councils already have whistleblowing procedures in place. However, they are framed in the context of the current legislation. In addition, trade unions have to advise members within that context, because if members actions fall outside the very limited protection in the legislation, they are not protected from dismissal. UNISON believes that the current UK legislation is complex and in need of reform. In particular, we are concerned about the recent amendment to PIDA (s43B) that introduced a public interest test. We believe that this amendment will lead to further legal uncertainty and discourage whistleblowing.

We would draw the Committee’s attention to the recent report of the Whistleblowing Commission (November 2013). It covers many of our concerns and makes helpful recommendations including a code of practice that might be helpful in addressing this petition.

A number of the disclosures raised by the petitioner would not be ‘qualifying disclosures’ and therefore would fall outside the current statutory protection. In addition, the hotline procedure might fall outside the process set out in the legislation unless it was part of the council’s internal procedures. This is because the legislation only provides for a disclosure outwith the employer in specific circumstances. We would therefore need to address any potential disconnect between the proposed procedure and the statutory protection from dismissal that is reserved to Westminster.

There are a number of other practical issues that would need to be addressed in any model procedure and if this matter was to proceed we would be pleased to support those discussions.

UNISON, the UK’s largest union, is calling for stricter control of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), after doubts were cast over its independence. The body is calling for greater deregulation of meat inspection in the UK and Europe, which the union believes could pose a health risk to consumers.

A survey by the Corporate Europe Observatory* reveals a tangled network of links between the EFSA and big business interests, adding up to a potential conflict of interest. UNISON is warning that, on EFSA advice, the UK Government, is introducing visual only pig meat inspection from June 2014 which it believes poses a threat to food safety and quality.

Paul Bell, UNISON National Officer for Meat Inspectors, said:

“There is no safe substitute for hands on meat inspection. Inspectors tell us that simply looking at a pig carcass will not deliver the high standards of protection of safety and quality that consumers have a right to expect. There is a real danger that ending physical inspection, will lead to meat containing an abscess or tumour getting into the food chain. It will be minced into processed food like sausages and ham and customers will be none the wiser.

Consumers need to know that any decisions about meat inspection are being made in their best interests and it seems clear that this is now not the case.This survey casts many doubts over how the decision to change the inspection regime was made. It cannot be right that such a potential conflict of interest between the EFSA and consumers is allowed to continue.

In light of this information the Government should put any further decisions about meat inspection on hold until tougher controls are made on the EFSA.”

In this week's independence White Paper the Scottish Government said they want to reduce the burden of European livestock regulations.The paper says (p282):

"We will argue that Europe’s regulatory burden should be reduced in recognition of Scotland’s good animal health record and disease-free status."

In light of this information the Scottish Government should be rethinking their own de-regulatory approach.

28 Nov 2013 - updateUNISON is supporting the disability WOW campaign and petition which calls for an end to the war on welfare and for a cumulative impact assessment of welfare reform and a new deal for sick and disabled people and their families and carers based on their needs, abilities and ambitions.

Sign the Petition here: http://wowpetition.com/
The petition currently has 96,000 signatures. 100,000 signatures before closing date on 12 Dec will mean it has to be considered for a Parliamentary debate at Westminster.

UNISON's UK Policy officer Allison Roche said: "UNISON believes that the current cuts of £23 billion in disability benefits are not creating a better welfare system but an ill fare system for disabled people and their carers and families.

"It's not just about people losing care services, it's also the quality of care they receive with the increased pressure on staff to cover more clients."

Audit Scotland’s report on the public sector workforce shows that workers are taking the brunt of spending cuts through job losses and real term pay cuts.

Since the high point before the financial crash the public sector workforce in Scotland (excluding financial sector) has fallen by 48,700 people - 5,500 in the last year alone.

At least £1bn has been slashed from staffing budgets and that doesn’t reflect the real term pay cuts all staff have suffered. While many older staff have retired early, recruitment freezes mean younger staff are not being recruited and the workforce is getting older.

The report also recognises that boards and elected members may need to prioritise services and identify if service cuts are necessary. The salami slicing approaches identified in the report cannot go on indefinitely.

Workforce planning at all levels is not as good as it should be and UNISON has long argued that there needs to be a national workforce framework in Scotland.

UNISON Scottish Organiser Dave Watson said:

“This report clearly shows that it is public service workers that have born the brunt of cuts in the ideological drive to slash public services. Those staff who remain are facing increasing workloads and associated stress while they seek to maintain a service to the public. We agree that better workforce planning at Scottish and local level can help, but it’s only a sticking plaster on the gaping holes that are developing in service provision.”

ENDS

Note for editors:The job loss numbers above are larger than those in the report because Audit Scotland have used a formula to convert the headcount numbers in the Scottish Government workforce statistics into whole time equivalents. Both are correct, but we prefer to focus on actual workers.

Monday, 18 November 2013

Mon 18 Nov 2013

NB Picture and interview opportunities available on morning of Tuesday 19 Nov 2013

School support staff will be lobbying Glasgow
City Council tomorrow (Tuesday) in the latest round of strike action
over the imposition of healthcare duties to their roles.

The move – being taken by pupil support assistants,
instructors and care workers in the North West of the city – is in
response to the council’s decision to force all pupil support assistants
to undertake specialist healthcare tasks, including the
administration of medicine, in addition to their core duties.

More than 200 UNISON members will lobby Glasgow City
Council, calling for an end to the imposition of these duties and to
settle the dispute.

Carol Ball, Education Convener for Glasgow City UNISON,
said: "Strike action is seen as a last resort for our members, but we
are determined to do what it takes to get the council to sit up and
listen.

“Our priority is our pupils and to be asked to
administer medicine to children with little or no training is absolute
nonsense. Parents, teachers and head teachers know that schools would
crumble without the hard work and dedication of school support staff
and to force them into this difficult position is both unfair and
unnecessary.

“The council needs to get back around the table and put the needs of the children first.”

Mon 18 Nov 2013

Trade unions have issued a stark
warning to East Ayrshire Council that proposed budget cuts are
unnecessary and bad news for communities.The joint trade unions representing
the council’s workforce – UNISON, Unite, GMB and UCATT – issued their
response to the council today (Monday) and say the council must
acknowledge its budget does not meet the needs of the people of
Ayrshire.The unions say cutting vital services
– which is a direct result of unnecessary austerity measures
introduced at Westminster, followed through by the Scottish Parliament
and implemented by the council – is not the way forward and that
councillors should not feel powerless in the process. Speaking on behalf of the joint trade unions, Simon MacFarlane, UNISON Regional Organiser, said: “The cuts the council’s currently
making, together with the proposed cuts in this budget, are unjust and
unnecessary. The council must acknowledge its budget doesn’t meet the
needs of the people of East Ayrshire and, alongside the actual budget,
publish a shadow budget which shows what is required to deliver the
services people need and deserve.“Hundreds of jobs will be lost which
will not only be devastating for those individuals and their families
but also for the services that the community relies on. The council
needs to be upfront about the damage that’s being caused, rather than
trying to gloss over the cuts.“We want to work with the council but
we need them to offer assurances around three key areas: no
compulsory redundancies; no attacks on terms and conditions and no
enforced cuts in hours for individuals.”

Wednesday, 13 November 2013

Wednesday 13 Nov 2013More than 400 striking school support staff in Glasgow will take to the streets tomorrow (Thursday) to lobby the City Council again over forced changes to their roles.

The move - being taken by pupil support assistants, instructors and care workers in the South of the city – is the latest round of strike action in a series taken by UNISON members in response to the council’s decision to force all pupil support assistants to undertake specialist healthcare tasks, including the administration of medicine, in addition to their core duties.

UNISON members will lobby Glasgow City Council, calling for t an end to the imposition of these duties and to settle the dispute.

Carol Ball, Education Convener for Glasgow City UNISON, said:

“Strike action is the last resort but feelings are running high. Pupil Support assistants are angry at reports that they are only after more money and falsehoods that they are already paid for this task.

The lies need to stop and an agreement reached that puts the educational needs of the children first.”

“Our members want to do the best for our pupils, however we are being asked to administer medicine with little or no training. Pupil Support Assistants chose their job to be educators not health care workers– you wouldn’t risk asking a painter to be an electrician for a day.”

“Parents, teachers and head teachers know that schools would crumble without the hard work and dedication of school support staff and to force them into this difficult position is both unfair and unnecessary.

“ Glasgow City Council expects the lowest graded workers to undertake medical/healthcare tasks, with no formal training and no increase in pay. We strongly disagree with this and call on the council to treat our members with the respect they deserve.”

ENDS

Notes for editors

1. UNISON members will be lobbying from 10am tomorrow, Thursday, November 14, at Education Services, City Chambers East Building, 40 John Street, Glasgow.

2. PSAs are currently paid an annual salary of £11,800 and Glasgow City Council has not offered any pay increase, or formal training, for the additional duties.

Wednesday, 6 November 2013

Wed 6 November 2013

Police Scotland today announced plans to take police off the beat to do the work of 67 police staff jobs they intend to make redundant. Police Scotland want to abolish the post of police staff legal document officers and instead have the work done by uniformed patrol officers. They will attempt to carry out these extra tasks in addition to dealing with the usual job the public expect of police officers.

About 1/4 of the 67 posts are currently vacant as Police Scotland have allowed staff to take voluntary redundancy in the expectation that they will be abolishing their posts. This has happened before entering into any formal consultation period with staff.

UNISON has obtained a copy of the guidance which is being distributed to officers in Glasgow on how to carry out the various processes involved in the serving of legal documents. This is not simply a case of dropping a letter through a post box but can mean visiting a premise several times to receive the appropriate response and thereafter recording the actions taken. This is a time consuming and administrative burden which patrol officers do not need.

“Police Scotland have freely admitted that this work, the equivalent of 123,000 hours a year, is not disappearing. It will be given out to beat officers who will have to meet deadlines and carry out administration of the citation process which takes them away from their role of keeping people safe.

This is yet another example of Police Scotland making cuts at the expense of service to the public. Proposing to axe legal document staff and giving their work to police officers will have an impact on policing. This isn’t the ‘reduction of duplication’ people were promised; it is slash and burn to meet a budget.”

George McIrvine, Secretary of UNISON Police Staff Scotland commented:

“We were promised blue sky thinking when it came to meeting the budget cuts imposed by the Scottish government. Instead we have policing being taken back to the 1970s, reversing the progress we have made towards a modern police service by sacrificing police staffs to maintain an artificial target of uniformed officers.

It is difficult to see how Police Scotland and the SPA will meet their budget for 2014/2015, if their only response is doing away with police staff posts and giving the work to police officers. This is not best value and will not produce the most effective police service for the people of Scotland.”

Wed 6 November 2013

A ‘speak-out’ survey of community, voluntary and housing workers has exposed services to the most vulnerable people in society as “hanging by a thread”. The UNISON survey, which polled more than 400 workers in Scotland, uncovers dangerously underfunded services leading to hardship and exposing children and the disabled to risk.

UNISON is calling on the Scottish Government to have a major rethink in its attitude to the third sector and to put an end to the ‘sink or swim’ philosophy which is leading to a struggle for survival.

Almost unnoticed by the public, many charities have become increasingly financially dependent on winning contracts from the public sector.

Scotland’s largest public sector union says procurement is the key to change and says the Procurement Reform Bill gives MSPs the opportunity to ensure the private and voluntary sectors are not left in the cold.

The survey will be a key focus of the community sector conference later this week. Organised by UNISON and the STUC, the conference – Holding the Line: Maintaining Standards in a Time of Austerity – will bring all the major agencies together, including those who procure the services, those who work in the field and representatives of users and carers.

Lilian Macer, UNISON’s Scottish Convener, said: “This survey must ring alarm bells. The Scottish Government should give charities the means to do what they do best and that is to improve lives and care for people.

“As austerity has bitten, funding for these contracts has been squeezed to breaking point. Staff morale dips, low pay is endemic, leading to rising levels of personal debt and long-term financial hardship for many in the sector.

“While charities are reputable and trusted by the public, they do not have a magic wand, so cuts are putting vulnerable people at risk.”

Mike Kirby, UNISON’s Scottish Secretary, said: “The voluntary sector attracts many thousands of dedicated, hardworking staff, who know that they won’t be paid big bonus salaries but who have a right to expect a fair deal for their clients and themselves. Instead many workers are bearing of damaging cuts to their pay and conditions.

“Charities increasingly rely on winning public sector contracts just to survive. It is vital that procurement legislation is used to change this. It should be made mandatory that those bidding for public sector contracts pay their workers the living wage, so that workers in the private and voluntary sectors are not being paid less for doing work of equal value. We must also ensure that those who provide these services are adequately funding to maintain levels of service.

“We have always campaigned alongside our communities for equality and social justice. Our community sector conference will bring all of the major agencies together – including those who procure the services, those who work in the field and representatives of users and carers – to find a way to maintain the essential services provided by the third sector.”

ENDS

Key survey results from Scotland (406 workers were surveyed)

Services for children69%are concerned that children may be slipping through the safety net

High risk areas15%do not have enough time to monitor children and follow up on concerns of neglect or abuse.15%report an increasing risk in administering medications39%do not have enough time to prepare risk assessments and support plans42%can now provide fewer resources (such as toys)44%can now provide fewer outside activities (such as visits)Since austerity 39%have less time to spend with each child

Services for disabled people73%say clients are being left at risk because their care package has been reduced.49%are seeing more clients moved into “the community” without proper support.63%report that service users are becoming more socially isolated, and 72% of these are concerned that this results in self-harm and depression.57%of staff report less time with each service user.46%are not able to provide clients with all the help they need.49%believe that less frequent care reviews are leading to inadequate support.45%report delays in replacing faulty equipment.63%are concerned about high staff turnover.

Housingservices72%report more tenants are falling behind with their rent35%* (*please note this is a UK-wide figure)said the top reason was the bedroom tax.The next most common reasons were:– complex benefit changes– the rising cost of living– under-employment and un-employment– financial hardship.

38%have seen an increase in tenants being evicted or forced to move because of financial pressures.32%have seen a reduction in non-statutory services (such as play schemes and community centres).60%report more debt management advisors being employed by their housingassociations.42%report a rise in anti-social behaviour from tenants.

Other servicesWorkers in the many other services in the community and voluntary sector also expressed their concern about being able to do a good job.

36%of respondents said they had less time with each service user.Only41%said they were able to provide service users with all the help they need.

Impact on the workforceIn the last year,15%reported that their take-home pay has decreased55%of staff said their pay had remained the same20%of staff don’t get paid the living wage

The average level of personal debt is around £1,50024%reported they were over £10,000 in debt22%have more than one job4%have four or more jobs7%are on a zero hours contract

Notes to editors

1. The speak-out survey was carried out throughout the UK with more than 3,000 workers surveyed. The figures included in this release are based on the results of the 406 workers surveyed in Scotland.

2. The community sector conference – Holding the Line: Maintaining Standards in a Time of Austerity – will be held on Friday, November 8, in Glasgow.

3. As part of Living Wage Week, UNISON – together with the Scottish Living Wage Campaign and the STUC – will be lobbying the Scottish Parliament on Thursday, November 7, calling for changes to public sector procurement.

Tuesday, 5 November 2013

Tue 5 Nov 2013

More than 400 school support staff will take to the streets tomorrow (Wednesday) to lobby Glasgow City Council over forced changes to their roles.

The move – which is being taken by pupil support assistants, instructors and care workers in the north east of the city – is the latest in a round of strike action taken by UNISON members in response to the council’s decision to force pupil support assistants to undertake specialist healthcare tasks, including the administration of medicine, in addition to their core duties.

Members will lobby Glasgow City Council, calling for them to put an end to the imposition of these duties and to get back around the table to negotiate a way forward.

Carol Ball, education convener for Glasgow City UNISON, said: “This strike action is not taken lightly by our members and is very much seen as a last resort.

“The simple fact is that child welfare must be the priority. We want to do the best for our pupils, however we are being asked to administer medicine with little or no training.

“Parents, teachers and head teachers know that schools would crumble without the hard work and dedication of school support staff and to force them into this difficult position is both unfair and unnecessary.

“Glasgow City Council refers to asthma, diabetes, epilepsy and anaphylactic shock as ‘low level’ tasks and expect the lowest graded workers to undertake them, with no formal training and no increase in pay. We strongly disagree with this and call on the council to get back around the table and to treat our members with the respect they deserve.”

ENDS

Notes for editors

1. UNISON members will be lobbying from 11am tomorrow, Wednesday, November 5, at Education Services, City Chambers East Building, 40 John Street, Glasgow.

2. PSAs are currently paid an annual salary of £11,800 and Glasgow City Council has not offered any pay increase, or formal training, for the additional duties.

Monday, 4 November 2013

Monday 4 November 2013

UNISON has today (Monday) welcomed the rise in the living wage but says it’s vital this is rolled out to the private and voluntary sectors through public sector procurement.

Scotland’s largest public service union said that while good progress has been made in achieving the Scottish living wage in the public sector, the fact that nearly one in four Scots are still earning below that level cannot be ignored.

Lilian Macer, UNISON’s Scottish Convener, said: “We welcome the increase in the living wage rates but more action is needed to extend the considerable benefits across Scotland.

“Workers benefit as they get higher wages, which in turn improves health and job motivation. Employers benefit because it widely reduces turnover, improves productivity and attracts better staff through reputational gain. The wider community also benefits through lower benefit cost, less stress on the NHS and more cash into the local economy.

“However, the next stage has to be to spread the social and economic benefits to the private and voluntary sectors and the key to this is through procurement.”

Mike Kirby, UNISON’s Scottish Secretary, said: “Extending the living wage to contractors through procurement has been largely done on a voluntary basis. However, it’s vital that the payment of a living wage is a part of any contracting authority’s bid for a public sector contract.

“UNISON has long campaigned for an official accreditation scheme for Scotland’s living wage and we’re pleased the Scottish Government has responded to these calls. But as well as encouraging new employers to come on board, we need to tackle low pay through public sector procurement and the Procurement Reform Bill is the ideal opportunity to make this happen.”

As part of Living Wage Week, UNISON – together with the Scottish Living Wage Campaign and the STUC – will be lobbying the Scottish Parliament on Thursday, November 7, calling for changes to public sector procurement.